Your life is not your own

But before we join one another on an easy Saturday morning pedal, sharing our love for the road, our camaraderie, and our sharp memories of Steve Bowen made sharper by the memorial ride on which we’re about to embark, I’d like you to sit for just a moment in the back seat of my car.

It is an old car in dog years, a 2002 Camry with 198,000 hard miles on it. It has a big dent in the rear, a deep rusted scratch on the right side, several beauty marks on the front and rust speckling on the hood. When you sit in the back seat you’ll notice several patches of duct tape over the electronic window controls. That’s to keep me from reflexively hitting the “down” switch to the driver’s side window and having it pop out of the frame, dangling outside the car. On the freeway. At seventy-five.

I want you to sit in the back seat last night and just observe. You’ll be invisible. I won’t know you’re there, but will still try not to fart. My kimchee and pinto bean + tofu diet has, according to Dan Cobley, unfortunate consequences for those behind me.

Hold Back the Tears

That’s the name of a song by Neil Young, and you’re listening to it with me in the back seat, but the song isn’t working, because I’m crying, and crying hard. It’s the first time I’ve cried for my brother since he died. You’re a little embarrassed for me. I’m a grown man, after all.

But you and me, we’ve ridden together and you know that I may crack but I’m going to recover, pull it together, and keep slogging ahead. I learned that much from Fields. There’s no dishonor in getting shelled, just quitting. Then you watch me, sitting in the dark in the parking garage, check my phone.

“Wow,” you think. “Dude is so addicted to Facebook.”

But you notice I’m not scrolling through “likes” and timelines. I’m reading, then re-reading, a message from Raja Black.

“That’s weird,” you think. “He and Raja have never met.”

Indeed, we haven’t. Then you watch me call Raja, who has messaged me his phone number.

“Hey, brother,” you hear Raja say. “Good to hear your voice.”

And just like that, the two strangers talk like old friends. Because they are. “How you doing?” Raja asks.

I tell him. The truth.

“Well, Seth,” you hear Raja say. “Your life, you know, is not your own. If your brother had known that, maybe he would still be with us. Your life isn’t this thing that’s yours. That’s just a fake construct. Your life is the series of things you say and do to other people. And every vibration of your life touches everyone connected to you, and all the people connected to them. We can’t take life away so casually. It’s not ours to take. We have to live, if we’re to own up to the awesome responsibility we have to those who are bound to us.”

You watched me furrow my brow as I listened as intently as I’ve ever listened to anyone in my life.

“Here’s the thing, Seth. I’m an athletic guy in great shape, but you know, a few weeks ago I had a major heart attack. One or two beats away from death, right? I’m one of those cyclists who’s not supposed to get sick, let alone have heart problems. But here I am. And everything looks more precious to me now. The people who were there for me in my hour of need, they’ve touched me, just like I’ve touched them, just like you’ve touched me, just like I’m touching you. It’s the web of life, and your poor brother, man, if only he’d known that, maybe he wouldn’t have taken what wasn’t his to take. But you know it now, and I know it now. So we will carry on no matter what.”

Then you heard me mumble something and you saw me put down the phone.

You thought this: “Strangers and near-friends, dear friends and loved ones, people reaching out to people because that’s what binds us together. Because our lives, however personal, are not our own. They are not our own.”

Better start meandering soon

You would have reflected on all this if I hadn’t let loose with a trio of kimchee farts, any one of which was strong enough to put holes in the seat fabric and blow out the rear window. You stumbled home. I ambled home. Saturday dawned clear and cold, and even before we’d thrown a leg over our bikes, Steve Bowen’s memorial ride had begun.

Susan Gans had gotten the word out to the entire La Grange club. She’d contacted Ellen Brown and Jeff Sallie at Catalina Coffee and arranged for free coffee and tea after the ride. When she told them that they could be providing for over a hundred riders, they never flinched. They and their staff were more than willing to help.

Somewhere along the grapevine, Cynergy Cycles in Santa Monica heard about the ride. Without being asked, they saddled up their shop van and provided free transportation to Westsiders who wanted to come down to the South Bay and join the ride. Then, Jim and Eric from Cynergy used the van for sag and as a broom wagon, running their flashers to keep the cycling cordon intact.

Paul Che of Sprocket Cycles was there, too, providing support to any rider who needed it. With Cynergy and Sprocket participating, it kind of makes you and me wonder…when’s the last time two competitors got together for the BENEFIT of a third competitor? Then it really makes us wonder…if hardworking men and women running small businesses can put aside their differences for a common goal, why can’t our politicians?

Cruising down the hill

I’ve picked you up at Malaga Cove. You’re freezing, as it’s in the high 30’s and you’re wrapped up in everything you own, but it’s still not working. We pedal, more chilly downhill, and pick up Marcella Piersol on the other side of PCH. You think you’re cold? She’s chattering so hard she can barely talk.

Kim West, Scott and Randy Dickson, and the other Iowans are laughing pretty hard at our wimpiness. They’re riding today, too. In six feet of snow.

But that’s why we decided not live in Iowa. We hit Catalina just as Gus, Marc, Chris, Tom, and a couple of others whiz by in the other direction. We turn around and grab their wheel as they easily tow us up to the bluff above RAT Beach. Marcella is having a hard time just being on her bike. It’s the first time she’s ridden since Steve’s death. You know, she was with him when he died on Mulholland. They were more than friends. They were people who had shared thousands and thousands of miles together on the bike. That makes you into more than a friend. That makes you family.

She had not wanted to do the memorial ride, intense as it was going to be, and now, with the frigid weather, and with her already frozen to the core, you and I can tell that she’s in a bad place. Let’s put our arm around her shoulder and suggest we head back to the coffee shop in Redondo. I was going to get there early for the ride anyway, and we’ll see Gus & Co. shortly anyway.

If three’s a crowd, what’s three hundred?

We get Marcella some hot coffee, and the Cynergy van pulls up. Out hop Cheryl Parrish, Lisa Giardino, Miki Ozawa, Deborah Sullivan, and a couple of other lovely ladies from the Westside. Before long the coffee shop has over fifty people in it. Some are local South Bay riders who leave here every week with the Donut Ride, like Vickie Van Os, Renee Fenstermacher, and Craig Leeuwenburgh. John Wike’s there. Many others are from distant locales. Jim Miller has driven up from San Diego and is chatting out front. Michael Marckx got in the night before from Carlsbad, but a sudden stomach bug kept him in bed. We’re going to miss him. We’ll also miss Doug Peterson, one of the South Bay stalwarts. His major knee surgery was recent, and he is still on the mend. You can’t do a ride like this with a sliced up knee unless you’re made out of some stern stuff.

You’re looking at me now, and I know what you’re thinking. “What the hell is going on? There must be two hundred people milling around out there.”

Indeed there are. And it’s time to go.

We gather everyone together, and it’s an ocean of friends and people we love. Suze Sonye, Kelly Henderson, Alan and Simone Morrsette, Greg Popovich, Dennis McLean, countless friends of Steve’s wearing his PVBC club kit, Jennie Enriquez, and even Shon Holderbaum shows up with his broken hand, all bandaged up and unable to properly ride. Jake Sorosky has to work, but he’s gotten there in jeans with his camera and has taken a bunch of photos. Then he’s gone.

Tammy Hines is there, and the one-woman tornado behind PV Bike Chicks, Kim White, is there, too. Brad House has put the word out on his network, and numerous friends and riding buddies of his have answered the call. The Steeles are there, and so is Marcel Hoksbergen, Big Dutch. He takes a video of the start and before day’s end has edited it into a moving, gripping tribute…but we don’t know that yet.

“Enough of the names!” you say. “We’ll never finish if you mention every single person! Plus, you’re hurting the feelings of people you don’t mention. David Caren? Jonathan Frederick? Gerald Iacono, whose gesture of kindness and generosity to you–an honorary PV bike kit–is the nicest thing you can remember? Tom Best? The entire contingent of South Bay clubs: Big Orange, Bike Palace, Ironfly, SPY, South Bay Wheelmen, PV Bike Chicks, Beach Cities Cyclists, and so many more.”

Our one big fear

You watch me give a brief talk. It’s inadequate and bumbling, but you and everyone else are gracious and, more importantly, are focused on our memories of Steve. We continue to be deluged with stories of his friendship and goodness, of his decency and humanity, of his acceptance of people for who they are, how they are.

Marcella is feeling it, too. I’ve taken her under my wing, or at least under my pink socks. She’s starting to see how deeply Steve was loved. Everyone closes their eyes for a moment of silence. Then we roll out.

Michael Norris is there. His presence is comforting. With Michael around, we know that nothing can go wrong, but still, we’re worried. We’re worried because this ride had become so huge. By day’s end we’ll learn that people stopped counting at 350 riders. With so many riders on the narrow PV roads, the potential for congestion is practically guaranteed. The worst thing imaginable would be an accident; someone getting hurt while coming out on Steve’s behalf. It’s the last thing he would have wanted.

We’re afraid of the police, too. When they see this rolling peloton of 350 people, they’ll have to take action, and we fear the worst. But you and I look at each other and shrug. “What can we do?”

Michael and I sit on the point, Marcella and Tammy and you behind us. The goal is simple: Ride slowly, ride safely. Keep any idiots who want to turn it into a bike race in check. Try not to fart excessively. Or even once. These things are noxious.

Up against the wall, lycra-clad-mother

As soon as we cross the border from Torrance into PV, we see the dreaded police motorcycle. The cop takes one look at us and flips on his flashers. We look at each other. Even Norris won’t be able to get us out of this jam. And given the run-ins we’ve all had with the Palos Verdes police, the ride’s going to end before it even starts. The cop has his Bub This is Serious face on.

The officer nods his head, whips his bike around, and pulls 100 yards ahead of us. At the first intersection, a PV squad car dashes up and blocks all turning and cross traffic.

“What the hell?” you and I say to Norris.

He grins. “Looks like Steve just got himself a police escort.”

For the entire length of PV Drive, the police create a rolling enclosure, blocking off intersections and preventing Saturday traffic from mowing us down. “Who told them?” I ask Michael.

“No one. Steve worked with a lot of the PV cops, many of whom ride bikes. He was a liked and respected friend. And the cops take care of their own.”

Marcella had been with LAPD for twenty-two years. “It’s family,” she says. “Family.”

Can’t keep a tough man down

As we push up from Malaga Cove, a dude in a red Cynergy jersey taps our shoulder. It’s Doug. “Dude!” I say. “Your knee! How are you even out here?”

Doug grins. “There are more important things in life than a knee,” he says. “This is one of them.”

We crest the first climb and someone else taps our shoulder. It’s MMX. “Hey,” he says. “Just wanted you to know I made it.”

“Dude!” I say. “You were on death’s door with a stomach bug last night! You were too sick to go get beer, even.”

MMX smiles. Then he takes a breath, as if he’s rehearsed the whole thing. But you and I know him, and know that he’s composing as he talks, the way musicians do. “The greatest truths are the simplest, you know? Steve had a real gift to be simple, yet he himself was very complex. His gift of simplicity was in breaking down things to their essence; to reaching and helping others reach the simple truth in things, in us. In the most meaningful sense he had a way of letting go of all expectations. His love came with full acceptance, even celebration of your personhood, your love of riding a bike or maybe your fear of getting on a bike, your trepidation and your bravado—he not only accepted who you were, but found enjoyment in you. We’re celebrating his life today, simply—riding our bikes and remembering the simple yet memorable.”

It came out smoothly, like music, MMX never needing to catch his breath as his legs rolled the big gear over the climb. He drops back. We don’t see him again.

Sick or well, fit or not, Steve’s friends are making the extra mile, then an extra one on top of that. The longest yard, indeed.

Dave Jaeger and Harold Martinez roll up to the front. These two guys can put anyone at ease, and they shoot the breeze with Norris. I should be more talkative, but I’m not. Words haven’t come so easily of late.

Kenny Lam shoots ahead of us with what is easily twenty pounds of camera gear. He’s not just doing the ride, he’s shooting it. Greg Leibert has shown up with a helmet cam. He dashes off through Portuguese Bend and sets up on a rock to chronicle the endless stream of friends.

Paul Che wheels up behind us. “Guys,” he says. “I stopped at Calle Mayor to help a guy with his bike. When I finished, I got on the end of the group and worked my way up to the front. I didn’t get to the front until we reached Lunada Bay.”

We look back. The end of the line is invisible. The riders go on forever.

The Honor Climb

We turn onto the Switchbacks, where Steve staged so many hillclimbs. Jon Davy shoots ahead, picks a spot, and peels off some video. Miles Irish blocks the oncoming traffic at the entrance with his Chevy Avalanche. He’d be riding if he hadn’t shattered his scapula and torn his rotator cuff the week before. Instead he runs interference, keeping us safe. We’ve lost our police escort, but LA County Sheriff’s Department has been keeping a helpful eye on our progress.

The Switchbacks are the weekly scene of drama and untold suffering…except today, I realize for the first time, that they aren’t. Billy Stone has said something earlier in the day that resonates with truth: Cyclists love to talk about how much they suffer, but it’s all bullshit. Their suffering stops the minute they decide to stop pedaling. Suffering is what happens when no matter how hard you want the pain to stop, it doesn’t stop. Cycling is a hobby. An avocation. A pastime. When you choose to hurt, you aren’t suffering. You’re choosing to hurt.

Death, disease, grinding poverty, mental illness…loss…these things are suffering. As we move through the turns I feel the truth of Billy’s observation. We’re fortunate to be here. Pedaling our bikes, no matter how hard, is a gift. It may hurt, but it’s not suffering.

You and i glance back at Marcella this moment. She’s one of many today who is suffering. She’s suffering the loss of a friend and loved one. No matter how easily she pedals, the pain remains.

Michael raises his hand. We’re a quarter mile from the top. The sky is glorious. The brilliant sun has turned the ocean into a deep hue of the richest blue. The curvature of the coast spreads out beneath us, a viewscape so grand that it takes our breath away, and you and I, we think about Steve. This is a day for Steve. The line of riders stretches back all the way down the Switchbacks, and beyond. “Ease up,” Michael commands.

Then you and I watch him push Marcella forward. “This is the honor climb, Marcella. Just you. Now go.”

He gently pushes her forward. She bites down on the pedals and moves away from us. We see her sides heaving and her shoulders shaking, and we know that it’s not from pedaling. You and I, we’re crying with her. She crests the hill alone, with three hundred and fifty riders in check.

That was for Marcella. That was for all of us.

That was for Steve.

Norris brings the group up over the hill, and you and I pull over. You politely turn your head as I sidle up to the wall and take the world’s longest piss. Finishing a long climb feels good. Emptying a near-to-busting-bladder feels better.

Once I’m done, everyone’s passed by. I feel empty inside, and not just from the roadside stop.

Catalina Coffee Rendezvous

We get back to Redondo Beach and Catalina Coffee. Robert Min is there, and a throng of others. Marcella’s ex, Frank, has shown up with Irving, Steve’s shop dog. Irving is swaddled in love and attention, just as he was in the shop. Steve’s girlfriend Vickie, and Steve’s cousin Scott have flown in from the East Coast to be with us this morning. Susan Gans has arranged to have a large card placed next to the coffee. Countless riders come up and sign the card, many leaving incredibly poignant messages.

We sit at the table with Pablo Maida, who’s driven down from the Westside to show solidarity. Like many of the riders, he didn’t know Steve, but he had friends who did know him, and, well, family’s family.

You look at me, and we’re both thinking about Raja. We say it at the same time. “Your life is not your own.” Pablo looks at us in a bemused way, but he understands without explanation.

You and I speak briefly with Vickie and Scott. “For every one of the people who showed up today, there were another hundred who couldn’t come because they had other obligations, or they were too far away, or they didn’t find out about it in time. For every one of the people who showed up today, there were another thousand who Steve knew and touched but who don’t cycle, or who don’t cycle enough to keep up with the pace, or who aren’t in good enough health to do the ride. Steve’s web of life connected with countless people. This is one tiny strand of his web.”

We hug Vickie and give Irving another pat.

Marcella comes up to us. “So glad I came,” she says.

We are, too. We’re also drained, you and I. We’ve been thinking about this since we got the news, and we’ve been mentally preparing for the ride since last night. Time to go.

We hop on the back of Dan, Marcel, Marc, and Pablo as they roll out for a final climb up VdM, which conveniently takes me home.

You drop me off. I undress and shower, wondering what happened to Norris. He’d accompanied us to the coffee shop, then vanished.

I take a nap and check my email. Bing. There’s one from Michael. He left so that he could buy a big sack of pastries and drop them off at the PV Police Department.

Michael’s life, you know, is not his own. And he knows it. So did Steve. May he rest in peace.

Thank you, Seth. Your memorable words before the ride this morning & your blog post(s) have been very much appreciated. I was sorry that I did not get a chance to meet you and thank you in person, but I was glad that I saw you and your pink socks at the start. I’m sure Steve’s family feels dreadfully sad, but grateful for all the cyclists who came together to ride in his memory. Steve was certainly a role model.

In a very moving way your tribute extends the remarkable nature of one person’s life to many who never met him. In this seemingly negative world, it is good to share the essence of those few that exemplify those qualities we should all aspire to. Thank you.

Tom, this post and Seth’s previous were what drove me to participate yesterday’s memorial ride even though I did not know Steve; I was moved to somehow share in our cycling communities friendship with someone who had an impact on so many. The ride was awesome in its unity of like minded riders and I was glad to have taken the opportunity to join in. Steve here’s wishing you all the strength you will need to get through the difficult times.

Seth ~ as I read this last night, tears streaming down my cheeks, I wished that I had even a small subset of your ability to articulate, to tell you how incredibly beautiful this piece is, how once again you have captured that which binds us. I do not. So, I will just say “thank you”. Once again, you have brought us (our tribe, our cycling community) together, literally and figuratively. We are more than friends. We are people who share thousands and thousands of miles together on the bike. That makes us into more than a friend. That makes us family.❤

i think of the movie, ‘6 degrees of separation’. but in our world of cycling, i think it’s more like, ‘2 degrees of separation’. i meet people all the time that know someone i know, and i’m amazed every time. if i mapped the relationships, it would indeed look like a spider web. thanks for a very moving ‘picture’ of what we all experienced yesterday.

We came because Steve touched our lives, but we *knew* to come because you got the word out, so thank you for that. Thank you for this summary of the day, and thanks to the kind gentleman who put together the video, so those of us way, way in the back could share a bit of what it was like to be in the mass of 300+ riders. I will say that those of us way, way back truly enjoyed the ride and the day (wasn’t it magnificent?), but I’m kinda sad I missed seeing Irving. Glad he could come, though. Thanks again, Seth – your life is most definitely not your own and there are more than a few of us who are glad of that. Except maybe those who get stuck behind you after kimchee and pinto beans…

Seth, wow. A great actor can make you hate them while playing the part of a villain; a great writer can make you shed tears for someone whom you’ve never met. I didn’t know Steve Bowen. In fact, I didn’t even know who he was until I read about his passing. Based on what I’ve heard and read, I missed out. For me there are a few images so powerful that they always bring me to tears: the missing man formation in memory of a fallen pilot; a pair of boots reversed in the stirrups of an empty saddle of a soldier who will never ride again. Now, add one more: the sight of Marcella cresting the Switchbacks alone. I didn’t see it as I was well back in the group, but your writing captured it so beautifully that I felt as though I did. And I cried as I am now as I write this. To Marcella and everyone who knew Steve, I offer my condolences. RIP Steve Bowen.

Seth, your writing is always beautiful, honest, funny and touching. Although I didn’t know Steve very well, I feel the love and the way he touched people in the cycling and non cycling community. I wish I was there to witness and show respect for Steve, his family, Marcella, you and all the people he touched. What a beautiful way to honor him!. My deepest condolences. RIP Steve!

Very touching…put a big ol lump in the throat of this crankywanker. Ive been around the hill for a long friggin time and Ive never experienced anything like that ride. What a great tribute. I was totally blown away when I rode up and there was about 40 riders hanging out and within 15 minutes there musta been 400 rolling out.

Received this beautiful letter from Steve’s sister Melanie, who lives in Australia. Posted with her permission:

Dear Seth,

This is Melanie, Steve’s “little” sister. My sister Lisa has already
reached out to you. During the first days of our shock and grief, someone sent us your amazing blog about Steve. Your first post about Steve surprised and overwhelmed us. Your second leaves me feeling connected to you and your own personal loss in a new way. You too understand the pain of losing a brother.

I cannot thank you enough for providing this forum for people we’ve never met to share some thoughts about our remarkable brother. We
were amazed by the outpouring of love and admiration shown by you and your readers, the number of people whose lives Steve touched, in this beautiful and sometimes sad Circle of Life. In the midst of a long dark night, your words are like a candle providing some light and
warmth, a window into a part of Steve’s life that we had not previously seen. As you described, Steve was a very private and
complicated person who did not blow his own horn. We were totally
overwhelmed by the testimonials from people who knew Steve and
considered him their friend, and by his contribution to the Southern
LA cycling community. Your tribute to Steve was so beautifully written
that Lisa even read part of it at Steve’s funeral. Our thoughts are
muddled right now, and as Lisa observed, you said it better than we
could have right now. Your words bring some comfort to us, to our Dad and the rest of Steve’s family, helping us to reflect on Steve’s
legacy and celebrate his life.

I’d like to share with you another story about my big brother. I guess it’s kind of typical of the kind of person he was. A number of years ago (Ten? Twelve?) maybe even before Steve bought PV Bicycle
Center, Steve had his own bicycle stolen. He was really mad, partly
because of the theft itself, but also because he had customized the
bike just so, changing the seat and handlebars to suit him perfectly.

He told me that he used to scan the streets and look out for his bike
whenever he was out driving. One day, months later, he told me
triumphantly that he had finally found it. He was stopped at a
traffic light, and spotted a rider in a nearby lane on the exact bike
he had had stolen. He got out of his car and confronted the rider
about the stolen bike. The guy was taken aback, and insisted that
someone had someone had sold him the bike, that he hadn’t stolen it.
Steve was never entirely sure, but he decided to give him the benefit
of the doubt. “How much did you pay for it?” Steve asked him. Steve paid him some money…and then gave him a ride home. He felt sorry for the guy, and he was just happy to have his own bike back.

Our loss is very great. We have always known what an amazing and
special brother we had. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to
learn something new about Steve and his life in LA, and to connect
with some of the people who knew and appreciated him.

Wishing you a fulfilling 2013, and may we all have better news in the new year.

[…] Blvd goes green — and not just the bike lanes. Cycling in the South Bay writes beautifully about last week’s memorial ride for bike shop owner Steve Bowen. No bias here, as a cyclist in Monrovia is accused of sideswiping […]